Saint Jerome and the Lion
Master I.B. with the Bird
c. 1509
Medium
Woodcut in black on paper
Dimensions
29.2 × 21.5 cm (11 1/2 × 8 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67306
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The marking “IB” and the bird are both characteristic of the Master IB, who was recently identified as Giovanni Battista Palumba. Here Saint Jerome, known for his Latin translation of the Bible, sits in a rocky wilderness and removes a thorn from a lion’s paw. The skull at his feet corresponds to his period of penance, in which he lived humbly in the desert and became interested in studying and writing. Palumbra’s woodcut demonstrates highly sophisticated tonal qualities that were likely influen...